We are continuing our celebration of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a special live-streamed United We Stand program with Mark Padoongpatt, Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During the first hour of this Humanities at Play program, we will play Thirsty Suitors while discussing food and culture, Asian diaspora, and more. The second hour of our program will consist of an interactive Q&A and interview where we will learn more about Mark’s research and the goals of Neon Pacific Initiative to elevate and enhance Asian and Asian American placemaking and public programming in southern Nevada.
Mark Padoongpatt is Associate Professor of Asian American Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He researches and writes on Asian American histories in the twentieth-century United States, with a focus on empire, race, migration, and urban and suburban culture. His first book, Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America (University of California Press, 2017), explores how and why Thai food shaped Thai American community and identity since World War II. He’s currently working on a book project on Asian Americans in Las Vegas that explores histories of race, space, and placemaking. He is also the recipient (PI) of a three-year, $800k Mellon Foundation grant to support the “Neon Pacific Initiative,” which aims to expand, enhance, and elevate the placemaking and public-facing scholarship activities happening in UNLV’s Asian and Asian American Studies Program. He’s also shared his work on podcasts and television shows, including an Emmy-winning food series The Migrant Kitchen and the Hulu series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.
Humanities at Play explores and showcases the significance of the humanities in everyday life through games, media, and popular culture. Join us for dynamic and interactive online and in-person events designed to spark thoughtful conversation and reflection. Learn more at nevadahumanities.org/humanities-at-play.
This program is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture initiative.
